Our Conductor

“All I need is this violin. And that other violin. And those violins over there. And the violins in the next room. And…”

Let us introduce you to our founder & Conductor: meet Claire Garner.

Claire’s love of music started when she began playing the violin at the age of 8. She then continued expanding her musical knowledge by also learning to play Piano, Viola, Cello, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Tenor Horn and, most recently, Drums.

She began teaching violin privately at the age of 17 whilst still at school, and since then she has taught a wide range of students, from age 3 to age 87 and from complete beginners to working for ABRSM grade 8. In 2011 she decided to take her violin tutoring to the next level and establish her own business – Fine Tuning Music Tuition.

Claire firmly believes that orchestras are a vital part of musical education. She herself began playing in the Redditch Youth Orchestra at the age of 9, then led the Stratford-Upon-Avon Music Centre Orchestra and has also played for the Midland Youth Orchestra (MYO), Central England Ensemble, Imperial College Symphony Orchestra and Haslemere Symphony Orchestra. In addition she has played Violin, Viola and Cello with several string quartets over the years.

The skills required to play as part of an ensemble are something that Claire is dedicated to communicating, and this is the main reason she founded Chertsey Orchestra to promote and teach ensemble playing in the local area.